What happened
On July 3, 2006, an EasyJet Airlines Switzerland SA flight, operating an Airbus A319 (registration HB-JZH), was descending from FL350 on a flight from Basel/Mulhouse to Prague. Approximately 25 minutes before the scheduled arrival, flight attendants reported a strong, pungent odor originating from the rear galley area. The smell was spreading forward into the passenger cabin and was sufficiently irritating to cause eye stinging and coughing among the cabin crew.
Upon investigation, the flight crew identified the odor as being consistent with a burning battery caused by an electrical short circuit. The crew immediately deactivated the coffee makers in the galley. To mitigate the effects of the odor, the pilot in command (PIC) set the aircraft's air conditioning system to maximum power. As the aircraft descended below FL150, passengers in the last three rows of the cabin reported eye irritation and were relocated to the front of the aircraft.
Due to the developing situation, the crew declared a PAN PAN urgency call at 10:43 UTC, requesting priority landing at Prague (LKPR). The aircraft landed safely at 10:55 UTC. Following the landing, the aircraft was parked at stand 11, and doors were opened to ventilate the cabin.
The investigation
The ÚZPLN investigation focused on the source of the odor and the electrical malfunction. Following the landing, an accredited technician from ČSA inspected the rear galley, the electrical installation, and the galley appliances. While the specific source of the odor was not identified during this initial inspection, the findings were consulted with SR Technics in Zurich.
Based on these consultations, the aircraft was permitted to return to Basel/Mulhouse under the Minimum Equipment List (MEL), which involved disconnecting the No. 1 and No. 2 coffee makers. Subsequent information obtained via the Swiss AAIB indicated that the technical issue was resolved by replacing both coffee makers on July 10, 2006.